All right, I’m moving the links to Friday for good, since in the name of sanity, I’m sticking with Monday through Friday posting only.
Okay, so let’s start with me.
1. My newest Celsias article:
Disneynature: Will it Be Green? Sort of Green? Not so Much?
After the spectacular success of the BBC’s Planet Earth series, it’s no wonder Disney wants to get in on the eco action. Disneynature, the newest venture for the entertainment giant, aims to release two feature-length nature and wildlife films worldwide each year starting with “Earth” on Earth Day 2009.
This first movie will follow animals like polar bears and elephants over the course of one year, and Planet Earth’s Alastair Fothergill is producing it. His vision plus Disney’s family entertainment chops and deep pockets? Sounds like a winning combination. Take a look at the trailer.
Read the rest of the article.
2. Trees = Asthma Protection?
At least one analysis suggests a correlation. Read the whole thing, but here’s the best quote:
Professor Irwin McLean, who studies asthma at the University of Dundee, said it was a “very interesting study” but he urged caution in interpreting the results. “It shows that there is some correlation between suburban living and [a reduction in asthma]. That doesn’t mean you should go out and plant a load of trees around your house if you want to stop your kids from getting asthma,” he said.
3. Asthma Awareness Month = Free Asthma Screenings
And don’t forget to fight dirty air, too. Here’s why and how.
Hello! I checked my city’s scores through that American Lung Association link you posted—they’re very, very bad.
Hmm – we have a bunch (read lots and lots and lots) of trees in our back and front yard. Every fall I curse the truck loads of leaves that have to be raked from our lawn. This year, our lawn service (hubby is too sick and I don’t have the strength to tackle that much work) did not come to rake the leaves before the snow fall back in November. So now it’s May and we STILL have autumn leaves and fallen branches all over our yard. Our neighbours aren’t too happy, as our leaves blow all over their pristine (ahem) lawns.
BUT – with hubby’s COPD, I have often thought that the trees are really doing him some good. He likes them, they do provide shade on a hot summer’s day, and the added bonus of releasing precious oxygen into the atmosphere – not a bad deal after all!
Good post.
It may just be in my head, but after some good rain, we’ve had an explosion of Spring leaves here (finally!) and when I went running today, I felt like it was much easier to breathe. At the very least the leafy trees make a sort of barrier between our neighborhood and the thruway.
Our air scores here are a C. I don’t think I’d do well in an area that was a D or less. Yikes!
I guess that tree study isn’t definitive enough to say, “Okay. More trees will definitely prevent asthma.”
It makes sense, though, for just the reasons you guys mention. We already know they release oxygen and store CO2, so I’m guessing more trees means lower ozone pollution.